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Microbes.
Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 9:33 am
by Digit
Article in the press today states that microbes found in rocks in Oregon probably originated on Mars as they exhibit an unusual resistance to radiation.
So? If life developed on Mars, and its climate changed slowly enough, I would expect life to adapt, even to hard radiation. Darwinism in action.
Further report states that Bears in Spain are not hibernating, or should that read that they haven't hibernated yet?
Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 10:11 am
by Minimalist
Is there a link?
Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 10:16 am
by Digit
Not that I know of Min. Just two articles that I lumped together.
Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 10:55 am
by Minimalist
LOL.
Sorry.
I meant a web link to the stories.
My bad.
Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 12:11 pm
by Digit
Ooops! Sorry, I'll check, if there is I'll post it.
Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 1:54 pm
by Digit
No Min, not even a source. Which is fortunate for me 'cos I'm still only computer semi-literate and still working out how to persuade my computer to send attachments etc.
Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 4:10 pm
by Minimalist
I'll run a search for "Mars" "Oregon" and "microbes" and see what turns up.
Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 4:13 pm
by Minimalist
Took 0.15 seconds on Google.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6191197.stm
A handful of bacteria on Earth today have the ability to survive exposure to extremely high levels of radiation that would kill other organisms.
Now, a team of scientists argues that the bugs could only have evolved this unusual ability on a planet like Mars.
Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 4:25 pm
by marduk
well by that standard fruit flies and cockroaches must also have hitched a ride here from mars on meteorites

Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 5:03 pm
by Digit
I can't agree with that statement though Min, as Marduk points out, several Earth organisms exhibit the same ability. Either Marduk's comment must be taken at face value or the resistance the article mentions isn't distintinctive to Martian forms. Earth has been bombarded by intense radiation in the past, or so we are told, and life adapts or perishes.
They might be correct, but I think their logic is at best questionable.
Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:22 pm
by Minimalist
Beats me....I just posted it.
Bacteria
Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 8:30 pm
by Cognito
Article:
A handful of bacteria on Earth today have the ability to survive exposure to extremely high levels of radiation that would kill other organisms.
Now, a team of scientists argues that the bugs could only have evolved this unusual ability on a planet like Mars.
Marduk:
well by that standard fruit flies and cockroaches must also have hitched a ride here from mars on meteorites
Marduk is correct and the "team of scientists" must not include any microbiologists. Keep placing different types of bacteria in a petri dish and expose them to high levels of radiation ... eventually, one will mutate to live through the experience and propagate to the point of filling the entire dish. It's a classic college experiment. Been there, done that.
As for cockroaches, I'm not sure anything on this earth can really kill them.

Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 9:15 pm
by Minimalist
As for cockroaches, I'm not sure anything on this earth can really kill them.
Works every time!
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2006 3:26 am
by Digit
Quite Cog. If the Martian atmosphere didn't vanish over night the increasing radiation levels would have acted to select any life with higher resistance to radiation, also, the rising levels of radiation would logically have caused mutations even if none had the higher resistance to begin with. The comment in the link about 'picking up resistant genes' is lousy science.
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2006 6:31 am
by marduk

this little fella is in the nightmares of all cockroaches
does that mean that he also came from Mars as he exists on a species that is apparently selected by a martian environment
